Drumbeaters Of War

The war hysteria flamed by the Indian government after the attack on its soldier last Saturday in Indian held Kashmir is sheer stupidity. Recent reckless and irresponsible statement comes from Indian Defence Minister Narmila Sitharam. Ms. Sitharam’s account includes some very immature words like “Pakistan will have to pay for misadventure.”

In fact, every Indian government finds it very convenient to hide popular disaffection of Kashmiri people by blaming Pakistan for every incidence of Kashmiri resentment against the occupation of their lands. The incumbent government is such a paranoid one that it suspects every effort of Kashmiri people to achieve the right to self-determination with a sure involvement of Pakistan. But there is more to the present government’s stirring up war hysteria. The government in New Delhi also rely on war drumbeating to garner the support of Hindu nationalists and supremacists.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry has rightly rejected the claims of Indian Defence Minister and has asked for evidence sharing. Islamabad on every such occasion where Indian security forces fail to counter terrorism has decided to cooperate with New Delhi. But time and again New Delhi declines such offers. In the present case as well, Islamabad has demanded to bring forward the evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the incidence.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s concern about Indian government’s recourse to whipping up of war hysteria is justified. The global community should not take Islamabad’s concerns lightly neither should it rely on the policy of appeasement towards India. It’s the appeasement policy of the global community towards India that it is killing and terrorising people with impunity in Kashmir. And if a slight resistance is shown against Indian brutalities by Kashmiris, instead of taking some time for introspection, New Delhi finds an easy target to blame: Pakistan.

Before any conclusive evidence was found, the Indian official jumped to the conclusion of blaming Pakistan. If there is any evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the last attack, India should bring it to the surface as Pakistan did in the case of Kulbushan Jadhav. India’s attempt to paint legitimate indigenous struggle of Kashmiri people to throw away the shackles of Indian occupation as terrorism and blame Pakistan for it will not fool everyone every time.

India’s aggressive posture against Pakistan and its wishful desire to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Kashmir through brute force will not help it in curtailing terrorism. Neither its war-like tone entitles it to be a regional hegemon. Pakistan will only naturally counter any attempt of India to assert the role of regional hegemon.